Associations between constipation symptoms and the sleep quality in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients: a cross-sectional study

Sleep disturbances, similarly to constipation-related symptoms, are common problems in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and are associated with worse health-related quality of life. We aimed at detailing the sleep problems in conservatively-treated CKD patients, and at verifying the associations between the sleep quality and constipation in these patients. In this cross-sectional study, 100 conservatively-treated CKD outpatients filled questionnaires that included questions addressing sleep quality (The Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Sleep Scale-Revised (MOS-Sleep-R)) and constipation-related symptoms (PAC-SYM, Rome III criteria). The T-scores of none of the assessed sleep domains differed significantly across the eGFR terciles (all P > 0.05). PAC-SYM abdominal and stool scales scores significantly correlated with all assessed sleep quality domains. In both univariable and multivariable regression models adjusted for key clinical data, functional constipation, having less than 7 bowel movements a week, abdominal discomfort and pain, as well as too small bowel movements, were independently associated with increased prevalence ratio of decreased sleep quality. In non-dialysis CKD patients, sleep disorders can possess common etiological factors with constipation-related symptoms.